Section 4.27.010Findings

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A. The City provides a valuable public service by providing storm drainage facilities for the collection and disposal of storm water discharged from properties and public rights-of-way within the City. The storm drainage facilities constitute a public utility owned and operated by the City. The utility exists for the benefit of any person within the City who wants to have the public storm drainage facilities available for the diversion, collection and/or disposal of storm drainage and other runoff water from the person’s property and represents a municipal service in a developed urban environment which is essential to the public health, safety and welfare.

B. Persons who use the public storm drainage facilities ought to be charged fees that reflect the cost of the management, maintenance, extension and construction of the public storm drainage facility as a public utility in the City. Persons ought not be compelled to use this utility, nor to pay monthly utility fees, if the utility is not to be used by the person responsible. Persons who undertake the installation of runoff control facilities on their property that reduce or eliminate the discharge of storm water into public storm drainage facilities ought to be given credit, in proportion to the degree of reduction, against storm drainage utility fees that would otherwise be due.

C. Accordingly, the structure of the storm drainage utility is intended to be a fee for service and not a charge against property. Although this structure is intended to constitute a service fee, even if it is viewed as a fee against property or against the person responsible, as a direct consequence of ownership of that property, the utility’s fee structure should allow the person responsible to have the ability to control the amount of the fee. Similarly, the utility fee structure should reflect the actual cost of providing the service and not impose fees on persons not receiving a service. The actual costs may include all costs the utility might incur were it in private ownership.

D. Persons using water from the City potable water facilities, City irrigation water facilities and/or the Talent Irrigation District irrigation facilities use substantial amounts of water for irrigating lawns and gardens, washing structures, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, and for other activities which result in the discharge of runoff into the public storm drainage facilities. These uses of water demonstrate a substantial relationship between persons’ use of these water facilities and their use of the public storm drainage facilities.

The Ashland Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 3150, passed December 19, 2017.

Disclaimer: The City Recorder’s office has the official version of the Ashland Municipal Code. Users should contact the City Recorder’s office for ordinances passed subsequent to the ordinance cited above.